


your hands are tough but they're where mine belong

by HeartonFire



Series: your eyes look like coming home [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 06:19:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16424039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartonFire/pseuds/HeartonFire
Summary: College AU. Karen’s R.A. is making her feel uncomfortable. She asks her classmate Frank for some very specific help getting him to leave her alone.





	your hands are tough but they're where mine belong

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be for Kastle Smut Week, but it didn't quite fit, so I've reworked some of it (and added more smut), and I think it's finally ready to be posted. It's also (very loosely) based on a thing that happened to me in college, so make of that what you will.

“So, tell me again what happened?”

Foggy was sitting across from Karen, French fry forgotten halfway to his mouth. It was dripping ketchup onto his chicken, but he didn’t seem to notice. Karen couldn’t look away. It was easier than meeting his eyes.

“It’s nothing,” Karen said. She shrugged. “Just this guy.”

“Your R.A.,” Foggy said, leaning towards her. The French fry broke in half and fell to the plate.

“Yeah. Him. Elliot. He stopped me in the hall the other day to invite me to watch a movie with him.”

“And you said?”

“I said I was busy. I’m not interested in him.”

“And then he went by your room when you weren’t there?”

“That’s what Jessica said. She said he was asking for me, but she said it was like he knew I should be back from class already.” Karen shuddered and ran a hand through her hair. “I just want him to go away.”

“What are you going to do?”

That was the real question. She couldn’t really avoid her R.A. If he really wanted to see her, to pursue her, there wasn’t much she could do to stop him except keep turning him down and hope he eventually got the message. He even had a key to her room. For emergencies, of course.

“I feel sick,” she mumbled, pushing away her pasta.

“You know what you need?” Foggy said, shoving the remaining half of the fry into his mouth. Karen raised an eyebrow. “You need a boyfriend.”

Karen choked out a laugh. “Right, because I need some caveman to come and claim me as his property. I can take care of myself.”

“I know that,” Foggy said. “It just might help, since he doesn’t seem to be getting the hint. And anyway, it doesn’t have to be a real boyfriend. Just someone to take the heat off you.”

“Still. Who am I going to get to do that for me?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. She knew who he was going to suggest. She and his roommate Matt had had a brief “thing” during orientation, but she got tired of chasing after him and trying to figure him out and they hadn’t talked in over a month. She couldn’t ask him. Foggy already had a girlfriend, and everyone knew it.

“Anyone in your classes you’ve gotten to know?”

Karen thought for a moment. She bit her lip. “There is one guy.” There was no way he would do it, though. She was sure of it.

“Who?”

“Him.” She nodded at a table in the corner, where the guy sat, slouched over a cup of coffee. His hat shaded his eyes, but she could see the shadow of a bruise on his cheekbone.

“Frank Castle?” Foggy said, incredulous. “‘The Punisher’?” The air quotes he used made Karen roll her eyes.

“He’s in my Lit class. We just worked together on a paper. And he lives in my dorm.”

“Perfect. Go ask him.”

“What, now?” Karen stared at him.

“Yeah. Now.”

Karen took a deep breath and stood, smoothing her skirt over her legs. She glanced back at Foggy for encouragement and he nodded at her.

Frank was just getting up to leave, draining his cup of coffee as he unfolded out of the booth. He stopped when he saw Karen.

“Hey,” he said, squinting at her. “You okay?”

“Um, yeah,” she said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I just had a favor to ask you.” His eyebrows shot up and she lost her nerve. “It’s stupid. Forget it.”

She turned to leave, but he touched her elbow and she froze.

“What is it?” he said softly.

Karen blinked hard and turned back to face him. “I need a favor.”

“You said that already.” A smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Spit it out, Page.”

“I need a fake boyfriend,” she blurted, and he took a step back.

“You what?” It sounded like he was fighting not to laugh, and Karen’s face burned.

“Never mind. I told you. It’s stupid.”

She was halfway out of the building before he caught up to her, but then he was next to her, walking back to their dorm. He didn’t crowd her, but she could feel the heat of him beside her.

“Want to tell me what that was all about?”  
“Nothing. I told you. Forget it.”

“Karen.” Her heart jumped in her chest. He had never called her by her first name before. “Talk to me.”

Karen sighed and pulled him to a bench under her favorite oak tree. He sat beside her, brown eyes studying her face carefully. He wasn’t laughing now.

“You know Elliot, our R.A.?” Frank nodded. “He keeps asking me to do things with him.” Frank’s hand twitched and his lips curled in a snarl. “Not like that! Just watching movies and hanging out and that kind of thing.”

“And you don’t want to.”

Karen shook her head as hard as she could. “No. I just have a bad feeling about it, and he won’t let it go.”

“So that’s where the fake boyfriend comes in? Get him to back off and leave you alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Done.”

Karen stared at him, not sure she had heard him correctly. “What?”

“Done.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. That guy is a creep and you don’t deserve that. What do you need me to do?”

Karen felt like her brain was working at quarter speed. She had never expected him to agree. “Oh, uh, just be seen with me, I guess? Like, if he’s around, hold my hand or whatever?”

Frank raised an eyebrow. “Or whatever?” He was laughing again, but trying not to. She appreciated the effort.

“I don’t know! I didn’t really think this all the way through. I just want him to go away.”

“Okay. You have my number.” Karen nodded. “You need me, any time, any place, you text me. I’ll be there.” He stood.

“Okay. Thanks.” Karen expected him to walk away and go inside, but he held out his hand.

“I’ll walk you back to your room. Hold your hand or whatever.”

* * *

Three weeks before, Karen had never even spoken to Frank.

And then, their professor had announced their first major paper.

“On your way out, look at the list to find your partner.” Everyone groaned, and Professor Walker held up her hands. “Working with other people, especially with writing, is hard, but it’s an important skill to learn. So, stop your complaining and get to work. The paper is due one week from today. The prompt is in the syllabus. Come see me with any questions.”

Karen gathered her things and joined the crush of students moving toward the door. She peeked at the list and saw her name next to one she didn’t recognize.

“You Page?” a gravelly voice said behind her. She turned and saw that guy. The one who always sat in the corner. The one with the combat boots and shaved head and surprisingly strong opinions about literature.

“Frank Castle?” He nodded. “So, how do you want to do this?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You walking back to Branford?”

“Yeah,” Karen said slowly. “Why?”

“I live there too.”

“Oh.” They headed out onto the quad, falling into step beside each other. The fact that he knew she lived in his dorm might have been creepy, but somehow it wasn’t. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to miss much.

“You look at the prompt yet?”

Karen had been so excited to get into an upper-level English class that she studied the syllabus the first day of class until she could almost recite it from memory, but she wasn’t about to admit that. “Yeah. You?”

He nodded again. “What do you think?”

“I think we have a lot of reading to do.”

Frank chuckled. “You got that right.”

He held the door open for her when they got to the dorm and Karen smiled at the unexpected chivalry. She definitely wouldn’t have thought he was the type to hold doors for a woman. Or walk her to her room, leaving with nothing more than a nod.

She soon found there was much more to him than she thought. They traded phone numbers and he was already texting her the next day about his ideas for the argument of their paper. Karen hadn’t even finished the reading yet. She wondered when he slept.

They met in the library to get started, and Karen was surprised again when Frank beat her to the coffee shop in the basement. He had a notebook open in front of him, and was filling the page with scrawled handwriting. A mug of black coffee sat on the table beside him. It was half-empty.

“Hey.” He looked up and his mouth quirked in a smile when he saw her. “Been here a while?” she asked.  
He shrugged. “Not long. Just thinking over the paper. Here.” He pushed the notebook towards her and Karen squinted at his handwriting.

“You might need to help me out here,” she said.

His smile widened. “Yeah, sorry about that.” He leaned across the table towards her. He smelled like coffee and something that might have been sawdust. It wasn’t unpleasant, Karen noted. “So, uh, I think we start with nature, and move towards the individual.” Karen stared at him. “What? You disagree?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, that makes sense.” She bit her lip and Frank raised an eyebrow. “I just wonder if we should pick one or the other. We don’t want to go too broad and end up saying nothing.”

He studied her over his cup of coffee. Karen couldn’t read his eyes, but she swore he was still smiling.

“That right, Miss Page?”

“Yeah, I just don’t want to lose points because we didn’t end up actually making our argument.”

“And you think if we do both, that’s what will happen?”

Karen shrugged. “I don’t know. But if we pick one theme and stick to it, and maybe just mention the other, like focus on the individual and make nature part of the individual’s story, it might make the paper stronger.”

He hummed and tilted his head, eyes still boring through her. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

Karen pulled out her laptop and starting typing. Frank moved around the booth to sit beside her and talk through the phrasing of some of the points they were making. He was good with words, better than she expected. She realized she needed to stop expecting anything, because Frank just kept defying her expectations.

They stayed there until the library lights started to flash. Two a.m. The library was about to close.

She saved the paper and stretched, suddenly aware of how tired she was. Frank stood and waited for her to pack up before he headed for the stairs.

“You’re a freshman?” he said quietly, eyes shifting over to meet hers. Karen nodded and Frank’s face did something strange, like he almost didn’t believe her. “Where are you from?”

“Vermont. You?”

“New York.”

“The city?” Frank nodded. “I’ve always wanted to live there.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine.”

Karen shook her head. “No. It’s the dream.”

Frank chuckled softly. “Okay, Miss Page. You go live the dream. I think I’ll head to Vermont.”

He nudged her with his shoulder and she looked at him. His eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled and he didn’t look so intimidating anymore.

He walked her to her room again, and she paused, hand on the doorknob. “See you tomorrow?”

“Have to finish that paper, right?” He nodded and backed away down the hall. Karen watched him leave, biting her lip to hold back a smile.

The next day, she texted Frank and they decided to meet in his room. He was a senior, and lucky enough to have a single room. Karen knocked on his door, heart fluttering in her chest. She was just going to work on a paper with him. It was no big deal.

But then he opened the door, and those brown eyes were on her again, and she felt herself blush. He was in sweats and a worn t-shirt. He looked soft, almost gentle. The combat boots were nowhere to be seen.

“Come in,” he said, holding the door for her while she stepped past him to go inside.

It was definitely a guy’s room, all posters of Bruce Springsteen and skull designs, but it was clean, and the windows were huge, bringing in all kinds of natural light.

Karen settled on the bed and Frank hopped up beside her. It was no different than working in the library, Karen insisted in her head. Except his thigh was pressing against hers, and she could smell a hint of his soap. She felt a little dizzy.

Taking a deep breath, Karen tried to focus on the page in front of her. Frank coughed and suggested they start the last section and head into the conclusion. They fell into the easy rhythm of knocking ideas back and forth and arranging them in a way that made sense.

Soon enough, the paper was done, but Karen took her time closing the computer and sliding it back into her bag.

“I think it turned out pretty well. I’ll look it over one more time and then send it to Professor Walker.”

“Okay. Good.”

Frank stood and Karen knew she should leave. He was looking at her like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He just kept looking at her. Karen felt her chest tighten and she knew she had to get out before she did something stupid. They were still going to be in class together for the rest of the semester, and the last thing she wanted was to ruin their friendship, or whatever this was.

So, she left. But Frank sat next to her in class that next time, and every time since.

* * *

When Frank and Karen got back to her room, having agreed that he would be her fake boyfriend, the hallway was empty, but Frank held her hand anyway. Just in case.

“Remember. Text me if you need me. I’ll be in the building all night. I can be up here in no time.”

“Got it.” Karen bit her lip. “Thank you.”

Frank nodded. He squeezed her hand and left her to unlock the door and go inside to her roommate.

Except Jessica wasn’t home. Karen assumed she was out drinking herself to death again, but she couldn’t worry about that now. She had a presentation to work on for her journalism class, and the quiet could only help her focus.

But just as she started working, there was a knock on the door. Karen’s stomach felt like it was made of lead. She typed a quick message to Frank and opened the door. She didn’t know who it was yet, but she had a feeling. Better safe than sorry.

“Karen!” Elliot the R.A. said brightly. He leaned against the doorjamb casually. “You’re a hard woman to find.”

“You were looking for me?” Karen tried to keep her voice normal, even as her heart was racing. She was in full fight-or-flight, and she couldn’t exactly fight her R.A. Couldn’t exactly run, either, with him blocking the door like that.

“Yeah, wanted to see if you had time for that movie now.” He held up a few DVDs and Karen stared at them for a long moment before she looked back at him. Had he never heard of Netflix?

“Oh, uh, now isn’t a great time.”

“Come on, Kare,” Elliot said, pushing past her into the room. “You should take a break anyway. All work and no play, you know.” He looked around at the piles of photos and clothes on Jessica’s side of the room and the books stacked neatly by Karen’s bed. He walked over and sat on Karen’s bed like he belonged there, like she would want him there, like she had invited him in, patting the mattress beside him.

Karen took her time putting the doorstop in place. She was not going to be behind a closed door with this guy, and she was wracking her brain for another plan to get him out, when she saw Frank hurrying down the hallway towards her. Her whole body relaxed when she saw him.

“Hey,” she said, nodding her head towards her room.

Frank scowled and took her hand, fingers twining with hers. She led him into the room and the atmosphere shifted immediately. Elliot’s smile faltered when he saw Frank, and fell further when he saw their linked hands.

“Frank,” he said slowly as he rose to his feet.

“Grotto,” Frank growled. He tugged Karen to his side, hand around her waist. He was warm against her, and so solid. As much as she didn’t want to need a man to solve this for her, the look on Elliot’s face told her this was probably the best move she could have made. And the feeling of Frank’s arm around her didn’t hurt.

“You guys hanging out?” he said, eyes bouncing between them, like he was hoping there was some other explanation.

“Yeah. I told you this wasn’t a great time,” Karen said, feeling much more confident with Frank there, glowering beside her.

“Guess I’ll come back later, then,” he said, collecting his DVDs and shuffling towards the door.

“No. You won’t.” Frank was glaring daggers at him so hard, Karen was amazed he was still breathing. “Karen won’t be here.”

Karen tried not to look surprised, but she had no idea what he was talking about. He pressed his lips against her temple, eyes still on Elliot.

Once the R.A. was gone, Frank released Karen from his grip and kicked out the doorstop so hard it bounced against the opposite wall. The door slammed behind him. Karen looked at him, eyebrows raised.

“You’re not staying here tonight.”

Karen’s eyebrows went higher. “I’m not?”

“He’s going to come back. You’re staying with me.”

Karen frowned. “Are you asking me, or telling me?”

“Karen,” Frank said, hands twitching at his sides. “Trust me. That guy is coming back. Please. At least then you’ll be safe.”

She thought about it for a moment. Elliot had seemed a bit chastened, but Karen had to admit, Frank was probably right. He was going to come back. And the next time, he might not be so easy to stop.

Karen shuddered and nodded. Frank waited for her to gather some clothes and other things she needed. As they stepped out of the room, his arm wrapped around her again and he took the bag from her hand.

He leaned down to murmur in her ear. “In case he’s still hanging around.”

Karen shivered and tried to lock the door. Her hands were shaking.

“Hey, you’re okay,” Frank said, hand clenching on her hip. Karen dropped her keys. Frank spun her to face him. He tugged her closer, and Karen knew, that to anyone else, it just looked like he couldn’t keep his hands off her. The way he was looking at her, Karen had a hard time remembering that wasn’t why he was doing it. “Karen, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Just a little shaken up, I guess.” And I want you to keep touching me, she thought to herself.

Frank scowled. “That guy’s not going to come near you again. I mean it.” He pulled her in for a hug and Karen buried her face in his neck. His stubbly cheek rasped against her skin and she fought the urge to turn her head and kiss him. She couldn’t believe she was acting like such a hormone-crazy teenager. Especially when she had gotten them into this whole thing in the first place.

He released her, and she managed to lock the door. She realized she should probably text Jessica, and let her know where she would be. Not that Jessica would notice or care until the next morning, but Karen was nothing if not a good roommate. She texted Foggy too, when she saw the twelve texts he had sent asking how it was going and if she needed help.

“Ready?”

No.

But she followed him anyway.

* * *

Frank’s room looked much the same as it had the last time she saw it. No cleaner, no messier, just Frank. Something about that comforted her.

“Sorry,” he muttered, moving a pile of books from the end of the bed to make some room. “Please, sit.”

Karen perched on the edge of the bed and toed her shoes off. Frank put her bag by his desk and hesitated before he joined her.

“Feel like watching something?”

Karen shrugged. She felt something gnawing at her, but it wasn’t any desire to watch TV. She turned to face Frank, folding her legs beneath her.

“Can I ask you something?”

He put down the remote and nodded. When he looked at her, she had to fight to keep from looking away. Those brown eyes were almost too much. Almost.

“Why’d you say yes?”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Karen said, nodding. “Why are you helping me?”

“That guy is a creep,” he said with a scowl. “He thinks, just because he’s the R.A. that he can push you around. I don’t like that. He comes near you again, looks at you wrong, he’s not walking away from that.”

Karen shivered at the growl in his voice. “Frank,” she said carefully. There was something dangerous glinting in his eyes that made her a little nervous. She had heard rumors about him, and the things he did, but they didn’t match the man she thought she knew. “You don’t have to do that. It’s not your job to protect me. I can handle Elliot.”

“You can, but you shouldn’t have to. I can make sure he doesn’t bother you again. I will. I’ve done it before.”

“That where that bruise came from?” She traced the bruise with her fingertips before she thought about it. His eyes closed, and she swore he leaned into the touch.

But then he tensed and stood, running a hand over his head. “Uh, yeah. Guy was trying to get some girl so drunk she’d pass out. Didn’t work out for him.”

Karen watched the muscles in his back tense under his shirt. He didn’t turn around, and she felt a crackle in the air.

“Frank.” She didn’t know what else to say, but when his eyes found her again, they were soft. Gentle. Almost hurt.

Karen slid off the bed and stepped towards him, slowly, like he was a cornered animal likely to bolt if she moved too quickly. He watched her approach, folding his arms across his chest, like he was trying to protect himself. From what, she didn’t know.

“Karen.” His voice was ragged, hoarse.

“Frank,” she said again. “You still haven’t answered me. Why’d you agree to be my fake boyfriend?”

His face fell and Karen watched something battle behind his expression. “Why do you think?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I get the fighting potential rapists thing. I don’t agree with it, but I get it. What I don’t get is why you said you’d do all this.”

“You asking me why didn’t I just fight that guy?”

“Yeah.” Karen nodded.

“Because you asked me for help.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?”

“You asked me to help you. So, I’m helping you. Like you asked me.”

“As my fake boyfriend.” The more she said it, the less sense it made that he was doing this for her. He hardly even knew her. The way he was looking at her, she wondered if there wasn’t more to it. Something else he wasn’t saying.

Frank grunted. It seemed to Karen that he leaned a fraction of an inch closer to her, but he didn’t close the space. She just wanted him to touch her again. To mean it this time.

As though he had heard her thoughts, his hands came up to cradle her face. Karen’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes fluttered closed.

“What if,” she whispered, before she could talk herself out of it. With her eyes closed, it was easier to get the words out. “What if it wasn’t fake?”

His fingers twitched in her hair and she opened her eyes. He was staring at her like he didn’t understand what she was saying.

“What?” he breathed, and she let her hands come up to rest on his chest.

“What if you were my boyfriend? For real?”

He froze. And then he smiled. And then he kissed her, and she couldn’t think of anything, feel anything, but his lips on hers, his tongue tangling into her mouth, his teeth grazing her skin. She wound her hands around his neck and pulled herself against him, pressing her whole body against his.

He lifted her in his strong arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him carry her over to the bed. He put her down gently, toed off his boots, then climbed up to lean over her, resting his weight on his forearms.

Frank brushed the hair away from her face and Karen smiled up at him. He slanted his mouth against hers, biting her lower lip hard enough to make her gasp. He kissed along her jaw, trailed sloppy kisses down her neck, smoothed her shirt along her ribcage, the edges of his fingers tracing over the lower swell of her breasts. She shivered under him, hips circling up to meet his. He groaned and his head fell to her shoulder.

“You sure about this?” he mumbled into her skin.

“Yes,” she said, pulling at his shirt to get it over his head. He grinned and sat up, thighs pressing into hers while he tossed the shirt to the side. Karen’s fingertips traced over his muscles and he gathered her wrists in one hand, pushing them over her head when he bent down to kiss her again.

“God, you’re beautiful. You know that?” He was muttering against her lips, barely even intelligible. She laughed and he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

She stopped laughing, then. She arched against him, pushing against his grip in her aching need to touch him.

He grinned, hand snaking down between them to tease at the skin of her thighs. A moan fell from her lips and Frank swallowed it down hungrily. His fingertips were rough, callused, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind them.

He traced a line over her hips, over her ribcage, back down to her belly button, down to the hem of her skirt. He inched it up, slowly, agonizingly. Karen was squirming beneath him by the time he had moved it high enough to see her panties. He kissed her one more time, before sliding down her body to press his lips to the skin of her inner thighs.

“You’re sure?” he asked again.

Karen was touched at his concern. It wasn’t surprising, given what he did in his free time, but it was sweet. It was like he couldn’t believe they were really doing this. Honestly, she couldn’t either, but she wasn’t going to let this opportunity go by.

“Yes, Frank,” she said, carding her fingers through his hair.

He smiled again, pupils dark with desire, and fumbled with the zipper on her skirt. Karen lifted her hips so he could get it off. Her panties disappeared too, leaving her bare under him. She should have felt vulnerable, but she didn’t. She felt safe. Cared for. Wanted.

Frank definitely wanted her. He nosed at the crease where her thigh met her hip, kissing the skin over her hipbone. Her hips canted up, on their own, and Frank pressed them back down into the mattress.

“Slow down, Page.” She could feel his breath on her center and she nearly screamed. She needed release. She needed Frank.

“Please,” she whined, and he chuckled. He was enjoying himself. So was she, but if he didn’t touch her soon, she was going to explode. From the look of the bulge in his pants, so was he.

“As you wish.” Karen saw white when the tip of his tongue touched her clit. He circled the sensitive nub, tracing a pattern around it as he pressed a finger inside her. She arched again, the sensations building to a roar in her ears. It had been so long since she had felt anything like this. She honestly wasn’t sure she had ever felt anything like this.

She came with a shuddering gasp, and Frank smiled against her skin. “So beautiful,” he murmured, and Karen felt her whole body blush under his intense gaze.

“Come here,” she said, and he responded immediately. Karen grabbed at him, trying to find his zipper, and he helped her out, shucking off his pants and boxer-briefs until he was as naked as she was.

He leaned over to grab a condom, and Karen took the opportunity to really look at him. He was hard, ready, as eager for her as she was for him. He unrolled the condom over his length and Karen realized just how big he really was. She was no expert, but she had a fleeting thought that he might not fit.

“I’ll go slow,” he whispered, kissing her ear. It really was like he could read her mind. “Promise.”

She trusted him. He hadn’t given her any reason not to.

Frank was true to his word. She hadn’t expected anything else. He took his time, teasing her with just the head of his cock until she saw stars. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in deeper. He grinned and pushed further until he was fully seated inside her. Karen had never felt so full, so stretched, but now that she knew she could feel this way, she could stay here forever. Here, with Frank inside her and around her.

And then, he started to move. Karen’s fingernails scraped down his back and she clutched him to her. His skin against hers was almost sinful in how good it felt, sliding against her. They were both slick with sweat, and Karen felt their hearts pounding against each other.

“Karen,” Frank grunted, as his thrusts picked up speed. Karen felt another climax approaching, and her body shook with the force of it, her walls clenching around Frank until he crashed over the edge with her with a strangled shout. Frank’s head fell to Karen’s shoulder. He was breathing hard. So was she.

He disposed of the condom and climbed back into bed, shifting until he was on his back, Karen curled against his side.

“This bed is too small,” he grumbled.

“It’s perfect,” she said.

He kissed the top of her head and she smiled. She was warm and happy for the first time since Elliot had started pursuing her. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Frank would see to that.

“Wanted to do that for weeks now,” Frank mumbled. Karen looked up at him and saw that he was blushing a little.

“Really?” He nodded. “Then why didn’t you?”

He shrugged, squeezing her tighter. “Guess I was waiting to be your fake boyfriend first.”

Karen shoved at him playfully and kissed him again, giddy with the fact that she could do that now. “Good thing I asked, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This one kind of got away from me, but I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :)


End file.
